Mounting devices for providing a positionable mounting platform in and on different industrial, commercial and recreation mobile platforms, such as boats, on-road and off-road vehicles, and aircraft, as well as fixed platforms, such as floors, walls, and work bench surfaces are well known in the art. These positionable mounting platforms are typically structured to support a wide variety of equipment, tools and other mobile devices for conventional mounting. Conventional mounting platforms of this type are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,845,885 and 7,461,826, both of which are incorporated by reference herein.
A drawback to conventional mounting platforms, however, is that they are prone to becoming loose when subjected to shock or heavy vibration. For example, when a piece of equipment, such as a GPS, chartplotter, or fishfinder is mounted to a mobile platform, such as a boat, it is common that the equipment will move out of its desired position relative to the mobile platform when subjected to the shock of traversing waves or rough waters. Conventional mounting platforms, such as the type disclosed above, often rely on at least one friction fitting gripping a ball or partial sphere to maintain the position of the piece of equipment relative to the platform. As a result, users are often forced to readjust the position or remount equipment after experiencing heavy vibration.
Accordingly, what is needed in the industry is an improved, positionable mounting platform capable of withstanding shock and heavy vibration. Moreover, what is needed in the industry is a low cost, adaptable, improved, positionable mounting platform that can be easily adjusted to provide a wide range of available positions for holding equipment in a stable, fixed position over long periods of use, relative to a platform, particularly when subjected to shock and heavy vibration during the time interval of interest.